Carpet-cleaner



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1,

W. M. COONRADT.

CARPET CLEANER.

No. 596,431. Patented Dec. 28. 1897.v

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(No Model.) 3 vSheets-Sheet 2.

W. M. COONRADT.

CARPET CLEANER.

Patented Deo. 28

M1! )M WINVENTOR.

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No. 596,431. Patented Deo. 28,1897.

ATTORNEY PATENT EEtcE.

VILLIAM M. COONRADT, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

CARPET-CLEAN ER.

SPECIFICATION formingrpart 0f Letters Patent No. 596,431, dated December 28, 1897.

Application filed December 22, 1896. Serial No. 616,654. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, WILLIAM M. CooNRADT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented a new and useful Oarpet-Cleaning Machine, of which the following is a specification. n

My invention relates to improvements in machines for removing the dust and dirt from carpets and other fabrics by beating continuously and exhausting the dust from the carpet or fabric, and conveying it away by suction while the carpet is passing under the beaters.

To this end myinvention consists in the device hereinafter specified and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings one form of my invention is illustrated, in which- Figure l is a plan view of the device, a broken section showing otherwise obscured parts. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the device. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 1 2, Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a detail in plan of a portion of the link belt with its spur. Fig. 4a is a detail in edge view thereof. Fig. 5 is a detail in side elevation of the trip-cam, beater-sockets, the beater, its spring, andthe detent. Fig. 6 is a detail in side elevation of the ratchet-wheel and its lever forming part of thebeater-tension-regulating device. Fig. 6a is a top view thereof. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the idler-pulley carrying the link and its stripping-Hanges. Fig. 7 is a detail of said idler. Fig. 8 is a detail of the clutch mechanism in side elevation, and Fig. 8DM is a detail in end elevation.

In the figures like reference-characters are uniformly employed in the designation of corresponding elements of construction in all the views.

A, B, C, and D are timbers which are vertically arranged and held together and distanced by horizontal timbers E and F. These timbers form together one end ofthe frame. The other end is similarly formed and the ends are preferably distanced and held together by the timbers G, H, I, J, K, L, M, and N.

O, P, Q, and R are braces or stay-timbers, which may be obviously placed in any desired position, as may also all of the hereinbefore mentioned timbers, as they form a frame for the device and as such might one or all be displaced by other equivalent constructions.

o.' are two boards or plates of metal, if desired, forming two sides of a flue-*that is, a vertical and a horizontal side of a triangular iue positioned at about the center of the machine and extending longitudinally thereof. Extending from the free edges of these boards a and the entire length of the flue is a screen-cloth p, upon which the carpet rests when being beaten. Movable longitudinally within the flue is a partition X. is a guide therefor, and @c a runner which keeps the partition upright. g is a cable which is attached to this partition X and passes over sheaves 7L' and 7L" at the respective ends of the machine, one of which sheaves is mounted upon a rotatable shaft w, provided with a crank w. Now it is obvious that this partition X may be moved longitudinally of the iiue, and as the suction-fan W' is connectedby a pipe WV with the iiue the nearer the partition X is to this end of the iiue the narrower will be the space on the screen p subject to suction from the fan W. The dust in passing from the carpet passes through the screen 1J and into the nue, and thence through the fan to a suitable dumping-.place Mounted in suitable journal-bearings longitudinally of the portion K of the frame is a shaft 7c, and on this shaft at proper intervals are sprocket-wheels Z.

Secured to the parts G and L of the frame, respectively,are brackets, and in these brackets are journaled idlers r and m, respectively. These shafts are provided with a cylindrical face and flanges at each end and are situated in the saine plane with the sprocketwheels 1 so that the link belts o may run each on a set of three wheels in t-he same plane. These link belts have at intervals spur-links--that is, the links o having spurs projecting' upwardly therefrom of such a nature as to engage the fabric which is to be cleaned withoutinj uring it. These link belts o run in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 3, being driven by the rotation of the shaft 7c, and the fabric is held upon said link belts by means of spurs and a correlative gravityroller T, mounted on a vertically-swinging IOO arm, said fabrics being carried by links placed over therscreen p, where it is beaten and affected by the suction and thence passes down to the idlers m, where it is stripped from the spurs by the flanges on said idlers and allowed to fall in natural folds upon the floor, as best shown in Fig. '7.

Secured in suitable manner to the crosspiece F of the frame is a longitudinally-extending shaft or bar c, whereon are pivoted the beater-sockets d, which consist of the socket proper, dm', and arm d", whereupon is attached the spring f, hereinafter to be described, and an arm c H', which acts as an abutment for the cams which act uate the beaters, as will be hereinafter described. As best shown in Fig. 5, the beaters consist of rods e, of metal, set each in one of the sockets d" and having near said socket a coil r, their ends fr being drawn upwardly to prevent abrading the fabric. A coil-spring f is connected to each of the arms d, its other end being connected by suitable rope or strip g to the shaft 5, which is rotatably mounted upon the frame and may be partially revolved by a device hereinafter to be specified, and the tension of the springs f is thereby increased or decreased simultaneously and in equal degree. This will of course increase or decrease the force of the impact of the beaters upon the fabric.

S is a strip of metal or wood with a metallic strip y, which extends the entire length of the series of beaters and carries its edge in such a position as to stop the beater-sockets d and so relieve the beaters of the tension of the springs when ysaid beaters are just about to contact with the fabric q, permitting the flexibility of the said beaters e to allow them to move forward by their own momentum, strike the fabric, and rebound. Now in order to adjust this tension to the springs fthe shaft is provided with a ratchet-wheel t, and a lever s is fulcrumed by a slot in its end on the said shaft I and carries a tooth or pawl s', adapted to engage with the teeth of the ratchet-wheel t as the lever is depressed. The aforementioned slot in the end of the lever s is at such an angle to the length of said lever that when the handle end of the lever is elevated the fulcrumed end of same will drop down, so that the shaft will lie in the other end of the said slot and the pawl s/ be thereby moved in a radial direction behind the peripheral surface of the ratchet-wheel, when the lever may be moved upwardly to its limit and when released or pressed inwardly will again engage the teeth and the shaft z' may be, by its use, partially rotated manually.

k is a pawl which engages the teeth of the ratchet-wheel t and prevents a backward rotation thereof unless manually disengaged.

As best shown in Fig. 5,'the shaft a is mounted on the cross-pieces of the frame and is provided with cams b, one of said cams being secured to the shaft opposite each of the beaters and being preferably arranged, relatively,

in a spiral around said shaft in order to make the beating of the fabric continuous from one end of the machine to the other and equalize the resistance to the driving power of the machine. These cams are provided with a straight face b', terminating in a curved portion b. The shaft a is located somewhat below the shaft c, whereby the straight face of the cams b when the shaft a revolves in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 5, first contacts with the extremity of the arm d'", and as the tension of the spring f increases by reason of K its extension the curved portion of the cams Z9 gradually come into contact with the upper face of the said arms CZ'", and by reason of the curvature the force required to drive each cam forward is practically uniform throughout the entire retraction of the beater, and the release of said beater takes place as soon as the curved portion d passes olf of the correlative arm d". As shown, the shafts a and k are geared together by gears u' and it", and the entire device is driven by means of abandwheel U, mounted upon the shaft a loosely and being connected therewith by suitable clutch mechanism, the preferred form of which is shown in Figs. 4, S, and 8a. As there shown, the wheel U is provided with a clutch element Z, and another clutch element Z is splined to the shaft and slides longitudinally thereof. Loosely mounted on and pendent from the end of the shaft ce is a shaft o, which is downturned in its free end to form a handle and has a block n on its end engaging with an annular groove in the clutch element d', whereby by means of a partial rotation of the shaft t the clutch elements will be engaged, which will connect operatively the wheel U and the shaft d.

It will be observed that the screen-cloth side of the dust-flue is made of screen-cloth of a diamond mesh, and in addition thereto it should be made of wire of about three-sixteenths of an inch in diameter and be strapped across-the opening. By these means as the carpet moves the entire fabric will be supported, so that the edges of a cut-away portion will not be frayed by the beaters, and also the screen will have a reactionary effect upon the carpet under the action of the beaters, whereby the carpet will be beaten more thoroughly than would be the case were this supporting device of different construction than is here shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a carpet-cleaning machine, the combination, with a frame, of a feed comprising a link belt consisting of plain and spurred links, wheels adapted to carry and drive said link belt and a pressure-roller mounted over said belt for the purpose specied.

2. In a carpet-cleaning machine, the combination, with a'frame, of a feed comprising a link belt composed of plain and spur links, a series of Wheels adapted to carry and drive IOO IIO

said link belt, the one of said Wheels at the and a carpet-conveying mechanism, a shaft rotatably mounted and carrying cams, pivotally-mounted blocks having arms projecting into contact with said cams, beaters attached thereto, and upwardly projecting arms,

springs connected each to one of said upwardly-projecting arms, a shaft, means for connecting each of said springs to said shaft separately, and means for partially rotating said shaft and holding it in any set position, all for the purpose specified.

5. In a carpet-cleaning machine, the combination With a frame, of a iiue, a screen on its upper side, means for feeding a fabric across said screen, means for creating a suction in said flue, and a partition mounted in said flue and movable longitudinally thereof whereby the length of the flue is adjusted to the Width of the carpet operated upon, substantially as described.

6. In a carpet-cleaning machine, the combination with a frame of the iiue, the sliding gate X, cable g, pulleys h and h", shaft w, and crank w', whereby the length of the flue is adjusted to the Width of the carpet operated upon, substantially as described.

j WILLIAM M. COONRADT.

p Witnesses:

A. R. BRYAN, C. H. DENNIsoN. 

